Haberman book: Flushed papers found clogging Trump WH toilet  —  While President Trump was in office, staff in the White House residence periodically discovered wads of printed paper clogging a toilet — and believed the president had flushed pieces of paper, Maggie Haberman scoops in her forthcoming book, “Confidence Man.”

Deputy Va. attorney general resigns after revelation of Facebook posts praising Jan. 6 rioters, claiming Trump won election  —  A top deputy overseeing election issues for Virginia's new Republican attorney general resigned Thursday after The Washington Post questioned the office about Facebook posts …

Police records complicate Herschel Walker's recovery story  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — One warm fall evening in 2001, police in Irving, Texas, received an alarming call from Herschel Walker's therapist.  The football legend and current Republican Senate candidate in Georgia was “volatile,” …

CNN Poll: Most Biden detractors say he's done nothing they like since becoming president  —  (CNN)Nearly 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of how Joe Biden is handling his presidency, with most of that group saying there's literally nothing Biden has done since taking office that they approve of.

U.S. Inflation Accelerates to 40-Year High  —  Consumer-price index rose at 7.5% annual rate in January  —  U.S. inflation accelerated to a 7.5% annual rate in January, reaching a new four-decade high as strong consumer demand and pandemic-related supply constraints kept pushing up prices.

‘Free Crack Pipes’ Myth Rooted in False Free Beacon Report  —  The Washington Free Beacon seemed to take a big leap to assert that free crack pipes would be part of a harm reduction package.  Conservative media lapped it up.  —  Earlier this week, a lie rocketed around conservative media …

The Jan. 6 Committee Won't Be Intimidated  —  We are focused on facts, not rhetoric, and will present them no matter what our critics say.  —  I keep on my desk a copy of the oath my great-great-grandfather signed when he re-enlisted in the Union Army in 1863.

Putin kept Macron at a distance for snubbing COVID demands: sources … French President Emmanuel Macron refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian COVID-19 test when he arrived to see President Vladimir Putin this week, and was therefore kept at a distance from the Russian leader, two sources in Macron's entourage told Reuters.

Here's Why I'll Be Keeping My Shoes on in Your Shoeless Home  —  Why are you assuming that your guests' shoes are dirtier than your floors?  —  Shoes are one of the things that separates us from other species.  Not only are shoes fabulous, but they protect our soft and not-very-well-designed feet …

Ranking the States Demographically, from Most Republican-Friendly to Most Democratic-Friendly  —  Dear Readers: Join us Tuesday, Feb. 15 as Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato interviews ABC News' Jonathan Karl about his new book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show.

Tesla sued by civil rights agency for operating ‘racially segregated workplace’  —  The automaker denies the allegations  —  Tesla has been sued by a state civil rights agency for operating what it describes as a “racially segregated workplace” in California.

This is the World in Which We Live  —  on harassment, being nice, & trying to get me to kill myself  —  Recently the Brookings Institution took time out of their busy schedule pretending pre-K works to present irrefutable proof that Glenn Greenwald and Tucker Carlson are harassers.  —  Or, well, not really.

The Times may publish documents about Project Veritas, a court says.  —  A state appeals court said that a judge's order preventing publication of the documents would not be enforced until a formal appeal could be heard.  —  The New York Times is free to publish documents pertaining …

The Cynical Spectacle of Sarah Palin's Lawsuit Against the New York Times  —  In an age when every arena of politics and media is infused with remorseless combat, James Bennet has a rare distinction: The former New York Times editorial page editor has been circled by ideological packs on left and right with equal ferocity.

Facebook Has a Superuser-Supremacy Problem  —  If you want to understand why Facebook too often is a cesspool of hate and disinformation, a good place to start is with users such as John, Michelle, and Calvin.  —  John, a caps-lock devotee from upstate New York, calls House Speaker Nancy Pelosi …

Justin Trudeau's Ceauşescu Moment  —  Denouncing truckers for “unacceptable views,” Canada's Prime Minister skipped town rather than face evidence of his own unpopularity.  Is neoliberalism finally cracking?  —  On the morning of the 21st of December, 1989, Romanian General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu was in a foul mood.

How organizers with police and military expertise may be helping Ottawa convoy protest dig in  —  Those involved with organizing protest include former RCMP and military officers  —  For nearly two weeks anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators and their big rigs have entrenched themselves …

Boy, 16, charged after predominantly Black D.C. schools receive bomb threats  —  A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with making terroristic threats after several predominantly Black schools in Washington, D.C., were targeted with bomb threats Wednesday, authorities have said.

Spielberg, Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo among Senate Dems' big donors for 2022  —  Hollywood's famous faces are pouring money into key 2022 Senate races, aiming to give a star-studded boost to Democrats fighting to hold on to their razor-thin majority in the midterm elections.

O'Rourke on past remarks about taking guns: ‘Not interested in taking anything from anyone’  —  Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke on Tuesday said that he has no “interest in taking” assault weapons from gun owners, apparently backing away from a position he took during …

Politics drives the end of covid mitigation.  It should — but that's too bad  —  Welcome to The Daily 202!  Tell your friends to sign up here.  According to the Associated Press: On this day in 1936, Nazi Germany's Reichstag passed a law investing the Gestapo secret police with absolute authority, exempt from any legal review.

Why It's So Hard to ‘Follow the Science’  —  A conversation with Harvard historian Steven Shapin about why people believe Joe Rogan, why our public discourse about science is splintered, and what to do about it … These days, it's hard to figure out who to believe, what to believe, and how to persuade others to believe.

Arizona Senate candidate releases ad showing armed ‘showdown’ with Dem leaders  —  Arizona Senate candidate Jim Lamon's campaign released an ad on Thursday depicting him in an armed “showdown” with Democratic leaders including incumbent Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D).